


For Eternity

by ImaKaraTabiHe



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Barry is a Shaman, Dragons, Falling In Love, Immortality, Inspired by Zack Hemsey's "Soothsayer", Japanese Elements, Kidnapping, Len is an Ice Dragon, M/M, Mick is a Fire Dragon, Murder, Mystic Ruins, Polyamory, Rituals, Sacred Spring, Shamanism, Supernatural Elements, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 11:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9654434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaKaraTabiHe/pseuds/ImaKaraTabiHe
Summary: When tales of other shamans disappearing from their villages circulate, Barry doesn't think he's going to be next, or that his kidnapper is going to offer him to a pair of dragons.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mistvalkyrie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistvalkyrie/gifts).



> Oni - a shaman stripped of their powers for committing horrible crimes  
> Gaia - Mother Nature

An eagle screeches as it passes over the village, cradled by lush mountains in a protected valley. It's a peaceful village with little trouble. The head of the village, Joe – Barry's foster father, keeps things in working order. He's a good man, strong and fair.

Stretching his legs, Barry watches from the roof of his home, prickly water reed stabbing through to his linen clothing. It wouldn't be so irritating once the lands grew cold again and snow once again covered the village in a blanket of chilly white. The thatched roof was well worth the journey to the marsh where the water reed grew. Water reed was more durable and lasted longer than wheat straw. He'd often heard Cisco talk about how annoying it was to even try to thatch a roof with straw. Straw had to be constantly wet so it wouldn't snap from being brittle, and it didn't last as long.

“Barry!” He looked down over the edge to see Iris waving at him. “Dad and Oliver want to see you about the Eien Ceremony,” she called up to him.

“Okay, I'll be there in a bit,” Barry called down to her. She grinned, waiting. Barry sighed. Of course she was going to make sure he got there soon. Not that he was lazy. He just…wasn't always on time.

He crawled back through the window, brushing off some straw. Barry made sure to close and latch the wood lined glass window closed. He pulled his clothes to straighten them a little. Joe was always telling him that he looked like a tornado just ran through.

Carefully, he made his way down the wooden steps and onto the first floor where cinders were smoldering from cooking lunch. “Katri?” he called, curiously. There was no response. “Huh. I guess she went out already.”

Katri was younger than Barry by three years – the youthful age of 20. She always wore her dark brown hair in a braid that ran down her back. Her tan skin was a nice pairing to her hair. She always wore her olive green robes. Iris joked that she was more serious about being a shaman than Barry was, although Barry held the current role in the village. Should something happen to Barry, she would become the next shaman. As it was, Katri was like his assistant – doing things to help him and the village thrive.

Barry wasn't like her. Where she was always on time and organized, sometimes he was nothing but clutter. He didn't like to wear his crimson robes – they always seemed to get dirty, and often they were too hot during the summer. It was hard for anyone to believe that they were related by blood – a product of marriage with a Southern village in the past.

Pulling on his robes and summer shoes, Barry opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the dirt road. “I'm guessing Katri is already there?” Barry questioned.

Iris nodded, reaching out and trying to smooth the disaster known as his hair. “She left early to gather herbs to dry for the winter,” Iris replied, rolling her eyes when Barry smacked her hands away, blushing.

On their walk to Joe's house, they talked a little, smiling and waving at other members of the village as they passed through. “Have you heard about the incident in Kino village,” Iris asked. Barry shook his head, no. “The elder shaman went missing. People are saying it's the work of an Oni.”

An Oni… Barry knew about them. They were shamans who had committed terrible crimes and were stripped of their abilities by Gaia's powers. An Oni was believed to have been behind the murder of his parents so long ago, but nothing had ever been proven. Even the flash of a face on that stormy night, lightning chasing the shadows away as Barry peeked from the inside of a cabinet hadn't been enough. It was something, but it didn't help.

“Hey, Barr,” Iris interrupted his thoughts, elbowing him.

“Ow!”

She rolled her eyes and gestured forward. “We're here, silly.”

Flushing at the fact that he almost walked right by the head's house, Barry ignored her amusement and entered. It was bigger than the house he shared with Katri, but not by much. He pulled his sandals off as he stepped onto the wooden step, setting them back onto the dirt entrance and pulling on a pair of guest slippers. No one wanted a dirty floor after all. He enjoyed the feel of the straw tatami under his feet.

He walked into the large gathering room, hearing the chatter of voices. The low table was surrounded by cushions upon which Oliver, Katri, Joe, Eddie, and Singh sat. “Barry, glad you could make it,” Joe commented, watching as Barry blushed and mumbled his apologies.

As soon as he sat down, Caitlin entered the room and set a cup of tea in front of him. It was a simple apple tea, but she knew he liked his with a sprinkle of cinnamon. She tended the eatery at the only lodge in the village. The lodge was run in partnership by Singh's husband and Felicity. They made quite the hospitable pair.

Eddie and Iris were engaged and ran the clothing store, though Eddie also joined Oliver in hunting during his free time. Oliver and Singh shared the task of heading the village's hunting party as well as guarding the village, but sometimes Oliver would accompany his sister in escorting Iris' brother, Wally, to villages to trade and collect news – which is actually where he should've been this time.

“Oliver,” Barry smiled at his tense friend. “I thought you were with Thea and Wally?”

“I was,” Oliver replied, giving Barry a tight, concerned smile. His eyes were dark with the sort of emotion that let Barry know this was going to be more than just talking about the Eien Ceremony.

“What's going on, Joe?” he inquired, spying Iris talking in the entrance with Caitlin. They both looked worried.

“Oliver's brought back news that shaman are going missing throughout the neighboring villages,” Joe explained.

Barry frowned. Iris had just been telling him about Kino, but… there were _more?_ “How many?”

Joe exchanged a look with Oliver before turning back to Barry with a frown. “Atari and Aoki have both lost their elder shamans. Atari's Kris was found with her throat slit on the edge of the forest, and Aoki's Manchester hasn't been found yet.”

“Iris said Harris from Kino was missing too?”

Singh nodded. “Word is that someone saw him giving directions to a passer through, but he wasn't seen after that.”

“Oliver and Singh are combining both the guards and the hunting party to make sure that the village is more secure. We don't want to risk losing either of you,” Joe stated.

Barry looked at Katri. He knew she was brave when it came to ceremonies that involved blessing meat as it was being divided and skinned for cooking and winter clothes and tools, but that had no risk. Worry shone in her eyes as he looked at him.

“From now on, you're both going to be on your guard and if you go out of the village, you're always to have a guard with you,” Joe commanded.

Barry didn't like the idea of being watched like a child, but there wasn't much he could say in return. He didn't like the idea of being stolen away by some Oni either. He and Katri nodded in understanding.

“Good,” Joe said. “Now, the preparations for the Eien Ceremony are going well. Iris and Eddie have the ceremonial garments ready, and Sara is building the bonfire. How are things on your end?”

“We've got all the herbs we need for the ritual,” Katri replied. “We just need a few more eagle feathers and then everything should be fine.”

“The moon will be perfect for tonight with a clear sky,” Barry added on. “It will be a bit warm with the bonfire, but the sky will be beautiful.” He'd studied the sky, tracking the winds, and listening to the whispers of nature. It was going to be a flawless ceremony.

Joe nodded, satisfied. “It sounds like everything is on schedule then. Keep at it.”

Everyone agreed and began leaving, the lingering darkness of missing shamans from other villages on their minds. Despite the Eien Ceremony, which is supposed to be a celebration of life and love, it felt like a cloud was hovering over their heads.

  
  


For the rest of the day, Katri and Barry alternated between bundling herbs in pouches to be distributed after the close of the ceremony and invite happiness into everyone's lives and letting Iris and Eddie fit them for their garments. By the time dinner arrived, they were hungry and lavished the honey cakes that Caitlin brought them for a treat.

As the moon rose, people began gathering in the center of the village where stone dragons surrounded the soon to be flaming pile of wood. Iris helped Katri pull on her ceremonial robes of vivid green and gold embroidery, tying her braid with a silk ribbon with woven charms.

Eddie and Barry fought over his ceremonial robes, which were a bright red with gold trimming. He glared at Barry until Barry finally put on the metal ear cuff that draped down his ear in jagged patterns of golden lightning. It was always so cold to put on at first, and he hated that.

Feeling as overly dressed as he always did for ceremonies with rituals, Barry stood in front of the villagers. The moon was bright overhead and Sara stood by a stone dragon with a torch in her hand, waiting for the right moment.

“Welcome everyone. It feels like only yesterday we were gathered here to celebrate Life and Love in this ceremony. Yet again, here we are,” Barry spoke, sleeves dangling from his arms. “For another year of prosperity, we give thanks to Gaia, and ask that She watch over us all as we grow and live our lives.”

Barry reached out and took a handful of feathers, holding them feather tip up. He raised them towards the moon, personally awing over the way the light from the torches and the moon danced over each individual feather.

Taking a breath, he closed his eyes. “Great Gaia, you are our World, our Mother. We give thanks for everything you provide from plant to animal, from love to life. May we continue to be held in your good graces as we continue into another year.” He lowered his hand with the feathers and brushed it over his face, down to his heart where he let it rest for a moment, wishing for the happiness of his friends, his family, and the villagers. “Peace to us all,” he murmured, hearing it echo from the others.

Barry opened his eyes and stepped forward. Placing his lips upon the feathers, he then set them among the wood and stepped back, bowing his head.

When he raised his head, Sara stepped forward, lighting the wood on fire. The bonfire blazed, heat making Barry sweat as he distanced himself from it.

It was quiet for a few moments and then Katri tapped her drum, signaling the beginning of the celebration. People cheered and smiled, thanking Gaia as they took some honey cakes from Caitlin, and their bag of herbs from Barry. They congratulated him on another Eien Ceremony well done.

Barry thanked them, watching the flames lick at the feathers, before they turned them to shining dust. His eyes followed the dust to the sky where winds would take it to Gaia with their gratitude. 'Another Eien Ceremony completed.'

People talked and laughed, enjoying each others' company and tales as the night grew thicker. They passed around ale and talked about their hopes for another year of happiness.

Barry felt heavy under his robes, and, although he felt bad about it, he slipped away to change into his normal attire. Iris would probably chastise him later for changing early, but it wasn't like he needed to remain in the robes now that his part in the ceremony was done.

Back in his linen clothes, he felt much more comfortable and light. He could move easier and he didn't feel like he was going to get smacked for getting his clothes dirty. “Much better,” Barry hummed, straightening his clothing as much as he could. He decided to leave the ear cuff on, because maybe he wouldn't get as severely scolded if he kept it on longer.

Stepping out from his home, he could see the flicker of light from the bonfire in the center of town, and he heard the happy chatter of the villagers. It warmed his heart almost as much as the bonfire had toasted his face with heat.

Just as he was about to walk back to the center, he heard something snap from the side of the house. Frowning, Barry wondered if it was an animal. He often cared for and fed the animals, helping them recover from injuries and sickness. Cisco called him weak for cute things, but he argued that looks didn't matter. He'd taken care of a black snake before (although that was kind of cute).

He eased closer to where the noise originated, a sinking feeling in his stomach that he fought hard to ignore. “Hello?” he whispered, keeping his voice low in case he might startle any animals there for help.

Leaves rustled.

The last thing he saw before even the light of the stars was cut off was a club coming at him. He fell forward, head erupting in blinding pain. 'Oh…' Then everything was gone.

  
  


In his dreams, he stood amongst the clouds, watching lightning dance from cloud to cloud. He felt the rumble of thunder in his bones and felt the chill of the breeze. He held out his hands as a snowflake and a small flame fell from above him. They both disappeared as soon as they touched his hands, leaving one warm and the other cold.

“ _Wake up, you pathetic cretin.”_

Barry's eyes shot open,  wincing as pain stabbed into his head. Something felt plastered onto parts of his face. He shifted but couldn't move. Looking down, he found himself bound in yellow ropes – spelled to control a shaman. His body jerked in a wooden carriage as he heard a horse neigh.  It was light out, morning.

“Finally awake, I see.”

He turned his head to see a man with short blonde hair, older than Barry, with eyes of pure hatred and greed. “W-who are you?” Barry questioned, swallowing fearfully.

The man's lips curled in a sickening smile. Barry shuttered as he ran a finger down Barry's cheek. “Thawne. Eobard Thawne, your owner,” he said.

'Owner!?' Barry's heart raced. This man had kidnapped him and now had the gall to think that he  _owned_ Barry? 'He's insane,' Barry thought, eyes wide as he watched Thawne get up and pat the horse.

“You're going to help me get the dragons' treasure,” Thawne stated, smirking at Barry's blatant fear and disbelief.

_'Dragons?_ Thawne wanted him to help him get a treasure guarded by  _dragons?'_ Barry had heard about dragons from his parents. They were noble creatures of great strength and intelligence. Although humans tended to fear them for their intellect and beastly form, Barry had been taught that they never killed for sport and only ate animals occasionally. Personally, Barry had wanted to befriend a dragon since he'd first heard of them and their magnificence.

There was no way he was going to let Thawne use him like some tool to possibly harm them.

“No,” Barry hissed, narrowing his eyes at Thawne.

The man raised an eyebrow in slight amusement. “'No'?”

“I won't help you. I won't let you use me against them,” Barry growled, feeling like his blood was humming in his body.

Thawne sauntered over to Barry, confidently. He lifted Barry by the shirt and smacked him across the face, letting him crash into the carriage on his own. The man leaned forward and hissed,  _“I'm not giving you a choice.”_

Barry could taste blood in his mouth, the metallic tang making his stomach churn. He could hear Thawne whisper in his ear, “I hope you've said your good-byes.”

Eyes widening, Barry struggled, somehow managing to sit up a little as Thawne got back into the driver's seat and urged the horse forward. Turning his head in the morning light, he watched as his village disappeared into the distance. He couldn't believe this was real.

_'Joe...Iris...Ollie…'_

  
  


They traveled for two days. Barry acquired all sorts of bumps and bruises from being tossed about the carriage on the mountainous roads. His body ached and he hungered for real food, throat dry. Thawne hardly let him out when he needed to relieve himself let alone keep him nourished.

Any snarky remarks on his part were returned with violence. Thawne obviously had anger issues, and Barry told him as much, earning a kick to the gut. At night the wind would whistle, searching for answers, for him, but nothing he said would reach it – not with the spelled rope around his body. He was cut off from nature, from Gaia. He was wholly and truly alone.

He thought about his home, his family and friends. Joe must've been so angry when he'd found Barry missing. He wonders if they miss him, how Katri is doing on her own. She'll be a better shaman than he ever was – never late and always organized… 'At least the village has her,' Barry thinks with a sorrowful smile.

During his time with Thawne, he's come to realize that this is the man who was responsible for all the shamans' disappearances. The evil man wore a necklace that he'd seen the shaman of Atari wear. There was no other woven jade necklace like the one passed from shaman to shaman in Atari.

When Barry had asked about the necklace, Thawne had grinned in a way that sent shivers down Barry's spine and answered, “An..old friend gave it to me. Quite honestly though, it cannot compare to the ruby brace that Aoki's Manchester wore, but it was lost in the struggle.”

“You're the Oni,” Barry had accused, glaringly. Thawne had simply smirked and told him that now it was Barry's turn.

“Either you'll be useful or I'll dispose of you like all the rest,” Thawne declared, gripping Barry's arm so hard it bruised.

He couldn't tell how many shamans were lost to this horrible man and his plot, but he mourned them. He mourned Kris, Manchester, and Kino, as well as anyone else who'd fallen victim to him. Barry tried not to think about the fact that it was likely he'd soon be joining them. Thinking about that was too much.

  
  


On the third day of their travel with Barry bumped, bruised, and having acquired cuts from Thawne's violent hand, they arrived at the entrance of a cave. The forest surrounding the entrance was thick and dark, with prickly brush everywhere the eye could see. Sounds like breathing echoed from the depths occasionally, and the horse grew so skittish, Thawne tied it to a large Oak tree.

Thawne removed the bindings on Barry's legs, leaving his wrists bound in the front of him as he forced him to walk. The start of the cave was barely lit by the rays of the Sun. From what Barry could see, it looked like some places had suffered from scorch marks, while others suffered from ice damage.

“That is evidence that the two dragons are indeed awaiting for you,” Thawne said. Barry's breath caught in his lungs. There was a fire dragon and ice dragon – those were the dragons that Thawne had spoken of.

Being burned alive or frozen to death was highly unappealing. He couldn't imagine a more painful death yet either was likely to be his demise soon. He only hoped it would be quick.

“A long time ago a human and a dragon fell in love,” Thawne's voice was low as he spoke. “The human was a shaman just like us yet she dared to cross the boundaries and love a beast. Outraged and betrayed by one of their own, the humans slaughtered them both in a moment of weakness.”

Barry swallowed as water dripped down from the ceiling. “Mourning the loss, the dragons took the hearts of both the dragon and shaman and laid their hearts in a spring inside a cave. Legends say that as soon as the hearts sunk into the water, lightning struck – turning the hearts to stone and forging them together in the water. It is said that only dragons are capable of touching the water. Anyone else would die from shock. But should they receive the water, they will be granted life forevermore,” Thawne finished.

“You're talking about immortality,” Barry whispered, heart pounding in awe and fear as he stepped over slick stones.

The torch Thawne had lit not long ago flickered in the Oni's hands as he looked at him. “Yes,” Thawne admitted in a dangerously low voice. “I am, and you're going to help me achieve my dream.”

The flames sputtered in a breeze, making the light flash, and Barry's heart skipped a beat. He knew that face, shadowed in the partial light. _It was him._ He recognized it from all those years ago, from peeking out from the cabinet at his home on that fateful night.

“It was you,” Barry hissed, anger overriding his fear. “You killed my parents. You murdered them in cold blood. Why!?”

Thawne chuckled, amused at Barry's anger. “Because,” he replied, “they wouldn't tell me where to find the Heaven Spring. Those pathetic fools knew and yet they did nothing.” His face grew red with the same seething rage that Barry had seen that night. “I wanted it, but they kept the knowledge to themselves. _I_ deserve it for all I have suffered being a stupid shaman and having to cater to Gaia's whims. Immortality should be _mine.”_

Barry stared at him, insides burning. “You're crazy.”

Throwing his head back, Thawne laughed like a maniac. “Crazy? No, I just want what's rightfully mine, and you,” his free hand ran down Barry's cheek making him shudder, “my sweet Barry, are going to help me get it. I'm going to trade you to those scaly serpents in exchange for the water from the Heaven Spring.”

Barry jerked away from him, glaring at him. “No!”

Thawne jerked on Barry's bound wrists, making him stumble forward. “You will, or else you will perish and I'll be forced to find a new shaman to take your place. All the others have angered me so, and in a fit of rage I have ended them. Try to test me, and I will rip the air from your lungs and smother you with it,” he threatened.

Body shaking, Barry bit his lip to keep quiet. If what he was saying was true, then if Barry failed, Thawne would go after Katri, and he couldn't allow that to happen. He had to protect her and his village. 'But… I have to do _something,'_ he thought as Thawne prodded him further into the dark depths of the cave. There had to be a way… He just needed to think of it.

Despite the spelled bindings cutting him off from nature, he felt waves of energy wash over him, growing stronger and stronger the closer to the heart of the cave he got. It made his blood hum and his spirit shiver. He wanted to turn away, but he also wanted to fall into the energy and let it cradle him. He wanted to bask in its power, but he also wanted to cry out in fear of it.

The cave tunnel ended and opened into a wide space, flowing out like the base of a basket except larger. Unlike the darkened tunnel, the inner area shimmered with the glow of crystals and natural gems. Barry watched as the glow created patterns and shapes that seemed to ebb and flow on the walls. It was incredible.

“Dragons,” Thawne boomed, the word resounding throughout the room. “I come with an offer. I desire water from the Heaven Spring. My offer is this shaman in exchange for it.” He pushed Barry, nearly making him tip forward before he caught himself.

Barry's blood froze, heart pounding wildly in his chest as water dripped from the ceiling. It was silent for a moment before he saw shadows moving from the other side of the large room. Cracking sounds echoed throughout the cave, and for a moment, Barry could've sworn the noise was going to make the cave roof collapse over their heads.

And then the shadows stepped into the light, and Barry's breath got caught in his throat. The giant figures stretched, the glow bathing their scale covered forms and cascading over their wings. One dragon was an almost transparent blow that gave way to snowy white – 'The ice dragon'. The other dragon was covered in crimson scales that blended with an warm orange – 'The fire dragon'. Their sizes made Barry feel even smaller than he felt at the hands of Thawne.

They were incredibly beautiful creatures, but Barry noted the sharp teeth and claws that reflected the flicking light of the torch. It wasn't hard to imagine what they could do with those. He wouldn't stand a chance. He realized that in his imagination that he faced three possible deaths instead of just two. 'Add being ripped to shreds to that list,' Barry told himself, swallowing as adrenaline made him sweat.

“ _You intrude upon our home and ask of us a deal, yet your shaman doesn't appear to share your sentiments,”_ the ice dragon spoke.

“Does it matter?” Thawne stated. “He'll be yours regardless of whether or not it is his desire. I caught him so he's mine.” The Oni's eyes were cold and determined.

The fire dragon snort, wings flicking up behind it.  _“If it does matter?”_ the fiery dragon asked, daringly.

“Why should it?” Thawne continued. “The results would still be the same as if he'd freely given himself to you.” Grip tightening painfully on Barry's shoulder before he pushed the shaman down onto his knees.

Barry gritted his teeth as he felt the stones dig into his legs from being forced down. 'Dick,' he bitterly insulted the Oni. 'Powerless, murdering, pathetic example of a human being…'

“ _Perhaps you are correct,”_ the ice dragon replied, mist coming from his nostrils with a huff. His dark blue, slit eyes peered down at Barry, examining. They slid over Barry like ice, giving him the urge to shiver.

“ _On the other hand,”_ the ice dragon continued, _“we would rather have someone here willingly than by use of brute force.”_ Thawne's hands slid to the crossbow, hanging from his back as the fire dragon puffed smoke in agreement.

“Are you saying you'd rather this pitiful excuse for a shaman desire to be yours?” Thawne questioned.

The fire dragon gave Thawne an annoyed look, a low growl echoing in its chest.

Taking that as a 'yes', Thawne pulled Barry up, holding him in front like a shield. “Regardless of whether I've had a hand in it, Barry will tell you that he agrees, won't you, Allen?”

Barry felt the dangerous implications should he refuse. Katri, his village, other shamans… He swallowed and cleared his throat, peering up at the dragons. “I-” his voice shook, “I do.” He could just picture Thawne smirking behind him with a victorious show of pride.

The dragons looked at Barry with doubt, but the ice dragon replied,  _“If it is as you say.”_

Thawne pushed Barry, hissing in his ear, “Walk.”

Stumbling, Barry took the hint and began to slowly make his way towards the middle of the cave room. He tasted blood in his mouth from biting his lip too hard. 'What's going to happen to me now?' he thought with despair.

“He's yours. Now, give me water from the Heaven Spring. Take me to it,” Thawne commanded.

The dragons exchanged looks, the fire tilting its head towards Thawne in question. Barry shivered when the ice dragon's lips curved, revealing its sharp teeth. _“Indeed, Mick,”_ the ice dragon agreed.

“ _On second thought, we refuse your offer,”_ the ice dragon stated, smirking as it excluded a superior aura of power.

“ _Len and I don't take well to those who think they can command us. You're just a disgusting Oni,”_ Mick rumbled, swishing its flame colored tail.

Barry could see Thawne's face grow red with anger from his place in the middle. He turned his head, observing. If they refused, what was going to happen now?

“You have no right,” Thawne bit out, eyes flashing with rage. “You accepted the offer, and now you want to take it back? Out of the question!”

Len's eyes rolled, and Mick looked at Thawne with a bored look.  _“We 'have no right'? On the contrary, we have the only right,”_ Len replied with a growl.  _“This is our home. Here our word is law. You will leave here and never return.”_

“ _We're taking the shaman though. As he is not truly yours, we've decided he'll survive better in our company than yours,”_ Mick added on, fiery eyes running over Barry with something Barry could only describe as… 'Interest?'

“Fine,” Thawne said, schooling his features. “If that's what you wish.”

Thawne giving up? Alarms rang in Barry's head, for although he'd only known Thawne for a short time, the man didn't give up. He'd done everything, bloodied his hands for this. There was no way he was just going to walk away.

“If you won't give me what I want....” Thawne began, pulling his crossbow over his shoulder and aiming it at Mick, “then I'll just take it!”

It happened in an instant, a split second. He didn't think, Barry just moved. He almost didn't realize what he was doing until he flung himself into the arrows path, but he wasn't about to regret it. He'd heard Thawne mumble about a special poison that could kill any living creature. The dragons didn't deserve that. No one did.

Pain blossomed in his side as the arrow embedded itself into his flesh, tearing into his body. His eyes were wide with panic as blood trickled down his hip and leg. The room spun and he fell backwards, falling with a heavy thump onto the cold cave floor. “Oh....”

The dragons snarled and dove at Thawne, dodging arrows with amazing agility despite their size and the space. Once they reached him, their claws descended, ripping and tearing, severing flesh and bone alike. Barry heard Thawne scream over the pounding of the arrow in his side, heard him beg for his life, for help – and then it was silent.

Barry coughed, feeling something warm and sticky coat his lips. His lungs felt heavy, and it hurt to breathe.

“ _Shaman,”_ he heard rumbled. Barry's eyes slid away from the crystal covered  ceiling and found the two dragons. They seemed smaller than before somehow. As he looked at them, he noticed how their forms seemed to shift – tails and claws shaping into something smaller than their original forms. Their skin remained covered in scales, but their bodies had more human-like shapes.

Mick's form was muscular and daunting. He could probably throw Barry farther than Barry could throw a stone. His eyes looked like amber with black slits.

Unlike Mick, Len looked a bit less muscular, but his blue and whiteish scales shaped his body nicely. His eyes looked like diamonds – beautiful, yet hard.

They were both so magnificent in their new forms. Barry gazed at them with wonder, taking in their sharp claws, long tails, and large wings. He even noticed the horns on their heads that twisted at the base and curved back.

He tried not to let his eyes wander down from their chests as they didn't appear to have the human shame of nudity. Their chests were well sculpted enough to hold his attention. He sighed, or at least tried to, wincing as the effort sent a painful stab through his torso.

“ _Shaman?”_

Barry looked up at their faces, curious as to why they were frowning down at him. His ears rung as he licked his bloody lips. “Yes?” he hoarsely whispered.

Mick knelt by his side, arm over his knee as he looked Barry over. _“You are gravely injured.”_

Barry wanted to laugh. 'Gravely injured' was an understatement. He was going to die and he knew it. He could feel the poison making his blood burn and his skin itch.

“ _You are human, not dragon kin,”_ Len spoke. _“To us, you are a stranger. We have a way to save your life, but we don't know you, so we may yet let your life fade. It would be a shame to let you die after you've saved my partner, but the treasure is sacred and must be used with caution. Make a case for saving your life, and we may save you.”_

'They could save me?' But Barry wondered about the treasure, about what they guarded and, what would make a former shaman turned Oni to commit such atrocities. He wasn't sure that he could protect their secret if they allowed him to live, and despite not knowing each other, Barry felt that they deserved better. He knew that they were worried about that as well – it was only natural to be concerned.

“I have no case to make,” Barry replied, coughing wetly. “We are but strangers after all, and under your care is a sacred treasure that Gaia has deemed you both guardians of. Your duties are more important than my life.” He took a shuddering breath and continued, “Truthfully, I am sorry for not being able to stop him… I'm so glad you're both okay..”

Barry moaned as he shifted a certain way and the pain shot up his side. He thrust the feeling back, focusing on the two dragon humanoids again. “I've never seen a dragon before, but you're both so… so beautiful.. I'm just so… so sorry....” His vision blurred, and he fought to regain clarity for a moment, but then he surrendered to the darkness.

  
  


Len watched as the shaman took a shuddering breath. Red coated his side, soaking into the dirty white linen clothing. It also coated his lips and ran down his pale, lightly peppered cheeks. He was weak and fading. Len wanted to save him, as he knew Mick desired it as well, but what they protected wasn't just for themselves but for everyone in the world.

His words were not tainted with lies and startled them. He apologized for something he couldn't change, for not being able to do more. When he complimented them, both he and Mick shuddered with a dizzy feeling that woke something inside of them.

“ _Len,”_ Mick rumbled with urgency. He watched as the shaman's eyes closed, breathing becoming more slow and shallow by the second. He couldn't bare to see this human die somehow. He looked up to Len, concerned.

“ _Bring him to the Spring,”_ Len commanded, watching as Mick slipped his upper limbs under the delicate shaman.

They walked down another cave hall until they reached a part of the cave, exposed to the outside elements. There in the middle of the room was the Heaven Spring. Sparks danced on the surface of the water with a dragon statue sat, tail reaching around to circle the entire spring. Beneath the surface of the clear water, there was a ruby red statue – the two hearts bound together. The small heart looked like it was cradled in the dragon's heart.

Len reached a claw out and sliced the disgusting bindings from the shaman's wrists. He also took the chance to seize the arrow and pull it as best he could from the human's body. _“Lower him into the Spring.”_

Mick knelt and gently let the shaman slip from his arms into the water. They both watched as little bolts of lightning struck the human repeatedly, racing over his body as it shocked him. The human slipped further into the water as it was deeper than it often appeared. Despite the blood, none of the water became discolored, remaining crystal clear.

It had been centuries since the last time they'd witnessed this change, and it was as wondrous as ever. It was said that the sacred qualities of the Spring were a mixture of love and devotion that were given power when a bolt of lightning struck the hearts within, giving it the ability to grant those who bathed in it eternal life.

Color returned to the shaman's face, and the water washed away the sickening red of his body. The Spring glowed gold for a moment, and then the sparks died down. As soon as it returned to its normal, the shaman's eyes shot open. The human swam towards the edge, confusion and disbelief apparent on his face.

“ _Here.”_ Barry felt oddly not cold despite being soaking wet as he looked up at Mick, who had knelt by the pool and was holding his claw out. Unsure of what was going on and why he was even still alive, he reached out to the fire dragon and let Mick help him out of the pool.

“W-what happened?” Barry stuttered with confusion as he patted himself down on dry ground.

“ _You have bathed in the Spring, Shaman,”_ Len explained, reaching out and, very gently, cupping Barry's cheek. _“Death cannot touch you now. You are immortal.”_

Barry can't explain why he leaned into the clawed hand, but he did, and it was so very soft despite the scales. “I can't die?” he mused aloud. “You… you saved me.”

“ _Doll, you saved my life first,”_ Mick responded.

“But- but I couldn't just let you die after you refused Thawne the water of the Spring,” Barry argued. “You stopped a mad man from being unstoppable.”

“ _No,”_ Len shook his head. _“That was just a whim. Regardless of what the outcome was, your courage and acceptance of death to protect the Spring was noble. A bit naive, but heroic nonetheless.”_

Barry wanted to argue, but he wasn't sure where to begin. Besides, what's done was done. Thawne was no longer a threat, would never be a threat again, and Barry… He was immortal.

The thought of his own immortality was hard to grasp, but what he did grasp was his loss. He couldn't go home anymore. He was no longer a normal shaman. His extended life span was something that guaranteed him that he'd see all his friends and family perish. His chest ached as he thought of living all alone without them, because someday they would all die.

“ _Shaman,”_ Len softly spoke, gaining Barry's attention. _“I am truly sorry that we've changed your life.”_

Barry shook his head, refusing to accept the apology. “No,” he argued. “You were only doing it to save my life. What you've done, giving me eternal life, was not out of malice or hate, but out of kindness and mercy. I couldn't fault you for that. I am thankful and eternally grateful for your help.” He inclined his head to them.

“ _Your human companions will one day pass, but… should you be willing, we would like you to remain with us,”_ Len continued. _“We have almost ageless life and are still quite young. Perhaps we are not the family, friends, or”_ Len gave him an apologetic smile, _“lover you once had, but we are here for you, however way you like us to be.”_

Barry's mind spun. Were they offering to be with him for eternity? Or at least, as close to eternity as they could get?

“ _Doll,”_ Mick said, brushing a lock of hair from Barry's forehead and leaning forward to place a gentle kiss upon it. _“There are many things that are unknown between us, but we both hold you in high regard. You are like the Spring, a treasure to us. Please, say 'yes'.”_

And Barry melted. Yes, he was sad that his family and friends would die one day, but his heart warmed with the idea that he wouldn't be alone. They would be with him – those two beautiful dragons that seemed to think of him like a treasure. “Yes,” he breathed out, eyes sparkling with tears as he looked at them, holding a hand out to each of them. “I will.”

They both smiled at him with a gentleness that could only be described as budding love, and somewhere inside Barry, he could feel the same. Maybe one day he would despair when his loved ones passed, but he felt confident that they'd be there, by his side.

The two dragons held his hand in theirs with a firm but kind touch. He smiled at them, Gaia's energy thrumming in his veins. “My name is Barry Allen, and I'm yours.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading~ I hope you enjoyed it. It's my first shot a dragon AU type, but once I heard "Soothsayer" I just couldn't not write it.
> 
> Hope you have a great weekend~ :)
> 
> tumblr: tabihe
> 
> [04/05/17, Note: Gifted to the amazing Mistvalkyrie as it was inspired by Mist's amazing AUs. Thank you, Mist!]


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